Opinion: Is there hope for CC Democrats?

By Bradley Roemer

As a Democrat who has always lived in very Republican leaning states (Texas and Georgia), 2020 was the first time in my life that my presidential vote went to the slate of Electors who actually chose the President. It was also the first time I had voted for a United States Senator who won (and I got two at the same time!). Keeping Senator Warnock in office for a full term in 2022 was a bonus that seemed to show Democrats can win consistently in statewide races in Georgia. Then 2024 happened. I’m obviously disappointed with that outcome but we don’t need to go into that here.

What I want to focus on instead is something I see as a sign of hope. One of the weaknesses of Democratic voters is that, as a group, we tend to put much more energy and emphasis on the big races and neglect smaller and local races that can have a much more immediate impact on everyday lives. Despite the most recent election results, those of us working to increase Democratic participation and representation in Columbia County have reason to be hopeful. The New York Times recently published their “Extremely Detailed Map of the 2024 Election”. I love these maps because just as a national map with whole states colored in distorts the distribution of population, state maps with counties blocked in will often do the same. When you’ve lived in an area for a while, and you really know the neighborhoods and commercial areas, these precinct level visuals can be very meaningful. An additional benefit to the NYT presentation is that it allows you not only to see election results but also how each precinct shifted from the previous election. So let’s take a quick look.

Below are side by side maps focused on Columbia County that show different ways of looking at the election (both are snapshots taken from the NYT map linked above). On the left is what the election results look like. Not what we would want but probably what we would expect for the area. On the right, is the same data presented as a shift in the margin by precinct (the images don’t match exactly because some precincts have changed).

It is this second map that I really want readers to focus on and internalize. Remember where people live in the county. Think about the areas that are growing because of Ft. Eisenhower. These are the neighborhoods in the central and southern portions of the county that have shifted towards the Democratic candidate.

This view should give us hope. When we feel outnumbered or hopeless, this is the map we need to go back and look at because it reminds us that we are moving in the right direction. And the potential to build on these recent gains is significant because of the continued growth expected at Ft. Eisenhower. People have interesting perceptions about “the military” vote. It’s not quite as monolithic as people think. Click on the link provided above and zoom out to see the entire state of Georgia. Notice where the blue patches are outside of Atlanta and Athens. Many of them are near military bases and colleges. The big Army bases are well known and easy to spot. But even the combination of a small college and small base can have a similar impact. Look at Macon, GA. Now look to the area just to its south: Robins AFB. Continue on that line south, almost to the Florida border until you find Valdosta. Sure, there’s another college there. There’s also Moody AFB. I point these out because I hope it will encourage Democrats who want to make change here in Columbia County to reach out to their new neighbors. The missions behind the growth at Ft. Eisenhower are ones that are going to be magnets for young technologically inclined people. When a new military family moves in on your block, be sure to welcome them. Make them feel like a part of the community. There are decent odds many of them will stick around and become permanent parts of the community. And there are decent odds many of them will end up supporting the same candidates we do.

One of the best things Democrats in Columbia County can do to have more influence in local politics and help keep the state competitive is to view this swing from 2020 to 2024 as a starting point. Sometimes people don’t vote because they don’t think their party or candidate can win. This shows the folly of that argument. Democrats did not carry the county this time around but I hope this will help those who are discouraged to see that all is not lost. We’re already making progress. It is on us to make sure we keep it going.